When Will Kobe Baynes Hear His Name Called In The NFL Draft?

2025 was another down year for the Kansas Jayhawks, but one player who arguably excelled more than anyone was right guard Kobe Baynes. The redshirt-senior was one of the best right guards in the nation and is expected to hear his name called in April's NFL Draft.

In fact, most pundits have Baynes as KU's top draft pick. Baynes improved his draft stock with a strong showing in the American Bowl and Jayhawks Pro Day, but when will Baynes hear his name called? And which team will draft him?

But before we answer those two questions, let's take a look at his stats and Pro Day performance.

The top CFB offensive guards in Week 14, according to PFSN's CFB Player OL Impact Metric ⤵

90.7 | Kobe Baynes, Kansas
89.4 | Alexander Doost, Arizona
89.1 | Chubba Maae, Arizona
86.8 | Brady Ploucha, Central Michigan
86.6 | Okino King, Florida Atlantic
86.2 | Dave Iuli, Oregon… pic.twitter.com/ViW6pgy1TW
— PFSN College (@PFSNcollege) December 4, 2025

Kansas OG Kobe Baynes NFL Draft Scouting Notes:

6034v
317v
8148v
3258v
948v

5.20e

Has a solid anchor.
Solid lateral ability.
Very capable athlete.
Good upper body strength. https://t.co/rKW3Dzr0WD
— John “Draft” Vogel (@DraftVogel) December 19, 2025

Baynes began his college career at Louisville before transferring to Kansas in 2022. In four seasons in Lawrence, Baynes started 27 games and played in 38. Baynes' best season was his last, where he garnered All-Big 12 honors.

But Baynes' stock has really risen over the last couple of weeks. Baynes played well in the American Bowl and excelled on Wednesday in KU's Pro Day. The 6-foot-4, 321-pound offensive lineman ran the 40-yard dash in 5.35 seconds and the 3-cone in 7.66 seconds. For a man his size, those are solid numbers.

But back to our original questions, when will Baynes get drafted, and what team will pick him? I've seen some pundits have Baynes going as early as the fifth round, but I just don't see that happening. I could see Baynes going in the sixth round, but my guess is he gets drafted in the seventh round. And I've got the Miami Dolphins taking him with the 238th overall selection.

Why Baynes to Miami makes sense

Miami is in a full rebuild after firing head coach Mike McDaniel and releasing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. First-year head coach Jeff Hailey promoted Bobby Slowik from senior passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator shortly after he was hired, and I expect both coaches to focus on reconfiguring the offensive line.

Miami finished in the top half of the league in sacks allowed and started eight different offensive linemen last year. Clearly, something has to change, and even with a new quarterback under center in Malik Willis, the Dolphins need some fresh faces protecting him.

Baynes makes sense for a variety of reasons. One, he can play both guard positions, and two, the Dolphins are shorthanded up front. So, even if Baynes doesn't make the Week 1 53-man roster, he could be an ideal practice squad guy.

And if all goes well on the practice squad, who knows, maybe he dresses for a couple of games this year.